Drabbles of Dragon Age 2
by Arei-The Peridot Dragon
Summary: Ya know what? I think with how many of these drabbles of the characters for da2 are in my head I better put them all together. here it is!
1. Orsino

Just a small one shot that's been in my head.

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She was Beautiful Once.

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She was beautiful once.

Blonde hair that fell in waves over her shoulders. Ice blue eyes that contained a controlled fire both in public and behind closed doors. A stong and commanding voice that could break the strongest man and turn him into a willing soldier

She'd been propelled by the loss of her sister to join the ranks of the Templar Order to try to make sure that all children were brought to the Circle to learn the control that they needed to resist Demons. So that no other families or villages suffered the same loss as her own.

She had risen through the ranks swiftly, becoming a Knight-Captain and then Knight-Commander. She wielded her political strength like broadsword, cutting through enimes and red tape without a care to insure that Mages were placed where they belonged, where they could learn in safety.

She used to be so careful about who she let join the Templars. Background check after Background check. Always making sure those who joined were there to Protect their charges.

She doesn't do that any more... People like Alrik are allowed in our home.

She used to listen to those who were brought before her, accused of practicing Blood Magic by her Templars, before issuing judgement upon them. She allowed them a chance to defend themselves.

The ranks of the Tranquil swell... Not even Harrowed Mages are safe fron the Brand.

She used to listen to reason, my Fair Love. I don't know how it started, but three years ago we could still talk to each other, argue with each other. The Hawke had not been the first to say that we 'argued like a married couple'.

That was the last time she let me touch her... I was barred from her rooms after that night.

Three years without her touch, without her love. Three years that I have watched her descend into madness that I cannot save her from. Her eyes no longer show a contained fire, but a raging inferno that will consume us all in the end.

Sometimes I think I am joining her, that I am going mad as well... How I HATE Kirkwall.

She complains of headaches often now. No amount of healing magic helps. In a fit of desperation I even went into the Forbidden Vault and looked through the books on Blood Magic, no need to deal with a demon to learn what books can teach.

I cast my spell on her, our blood mixed together as one, hoping to help her because even Blood Magic can be used to heal if you cast the right spell...

Nothing changed... her madness grows worse each day.

To my horror I have found that she has asked to have the option to call down the Right of Annulment at any time. I no longer know what to do to help her.

To my horror an apostate has destroyed the Chantry and she has decided to kill us all. I don't know what I can do to stop her.

To my Horror, though the Hawke has sided with the Mages in this dark hour, there is now a call for my Fair Love's head. Even now, I love her.

I can feel the madness in my mind growing at the thought of her death.

I cannot let it happen.

I cannot let them have her.

I will do ANYTHING to stop them from taking her from me!

Pride, Desire, Rage, Vengence, Sloth, Hunger...

I will take them all into me to keep her safe if I have to!

Blood magic, Necromancy...

I will use the Darkest Magics to stop the Hawke. You cannot have her! YOU CANNOT HAVE HER!

If she desires the Right, if she desires our souls... Then I will help her. I will be...

Her Harvester!


	2. Fenris

Another One-shot. Fenris POV.

This and any others are kind of building blocks for my eventual DA2 Hawke and the interactions with the others and how the others view each other. I'm trying to keep things Vague as I'm not sure what my Hawke will be mage/rogue/warrior male/female.

If you have an opinion lemme know in reviews.

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Death.

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I've been in this festering city for several years now.

Hawke was kind enough to help me with my problems dispite being tricked into assisting me. Hawke would even come over and help me clean up my Mas... Danar... MY mansion. Spells were placed on the bodies in the main foyer and other parts of the building in order to preserve them and promote a sense of abandonment in the main parts of the mansion. Several of the Bedrooms were clean for myself or for guests. The kitchen was cleaned and well stocked.

The others of Hawke's merry band would visit on occasion.

Isabela would visit and flirt constantly while she was over.

Varric would bring over his stories and leave them on the book shelf for me to read.

Hawke would come over for the reading lessons. Tell me about the past. Help me to try to remember my own.

Sebastion would visit and speak either of the Chantry or Starkhaven... really he needed to decided what he was going to do, how in the Void talking to me would help I didn't know.

Carver would visit and alternate between complaining about having to protect his siblings or extoling their virtues, it was hard to tell which way he would go when he started drinking.

Bethany and Leandra would visit together and whip up delicious meals for me, both complaining that I was far to thin, even for an elf.

Avaline's visits were primarily to spar, keeping us both in shape during those long windows of time between the missions Hawke would have for us.

Merrill... half the time she showed up on accident. I hated her for her Blood Magic but she never used anyones blood but her own. Became disgusted if I accused her of it. Strange... to see a Blood Mage claiming Morals.

The Abomi... No... Hawke hated when I called him that...

The Wannabe Magis... No... much as the fool spouted off about Mage freedoms he did not deny the evils that Tevinter Mages were capable of...

The Mag... sigh... he does have a name doesn't he?

Anders...

He was a study of contridictions.

I'd seen people possessed by Demons, jerking about like marrionettes as they fought the Demons hold.

I'd seen people give up and twist into horrible abominations. Monstrous, hulking, mindless forms focused on destroying or consuming everything around them. The most he did was glow and talk different when his Demon... his Spirit?... took over. This 'Justice'.

I've watched him closely.

Watched him in the clinic, healing others for no charge or for food. Watched him save lives, drain himself of mana to the point of collapse. Helping and sacrificing so much of himself to others.

Why would any true abomination do this? So... selfless?

Was it really because he was bound to a Spirit? Could there really be such a difference between Demons and Spirits? I didn't know...

I watched him as he rescued Mages from the Gallows.

Often the Mages he saved were put on a boat to Fereldan. Most of them children. I couldn't deny the wisdom of rescuing them, not to myself. Some he rescued were badly beaten. I could truly see the parralells he claimed to exist between their treatment and slavery. Even more so when Hawke explained to me the true depth of Tranquillity... I agreed with them then, when they said Death was better then the Brand.

I hadn't realized that the Tranquil had no choice but to obey a direct order. I hadn't realized that they would have no emotions. I had thought the Brand cut them off from the Fade and thus MUTED their emotions.

Hawke had to force me to watch, got so fed up with my attitude that he led me to the Gallows... A Tranquil led to the shadows. Orders given... orders followed...

On your knees... obeyed.

Stand on your hands... obeyed.

Bark like a dog... obeyed.

How many Templars use you like the the whores in the Rose...? 'I can't answer that as I was ordered not to speak of it with anyone.'

Horror... disgust... The point had been made... Slave as I wa... had been. I could still feel emotions, I still had the chance to be more.

So I watched. Anders is a fool. One of these days he will be caught... one of these days they will try to Brand him. He's our mage. Same with Bethany, with Merril... same with Hawke. Good Mages... MY mages. MINE. I wont let it happen and if it does...

Death is better...

-=-=*/*/*=-=-

Welp, here's insight into the kind of Fenris I want to have. lemme know if you have someone in mind or ideas in mind for the kind of mindset you'd like to see in the others!

REview!


	3. Merrill

Another one-shot. Merril POV this time.

Using these to build the eventual DA2 character and how the  
others react to those within.

If you've read the Fenris one, you'll notice that Bethany  
and Carver are mentioned. Both survive fleeing the Blight  
for my story, and not because of Hawke.

Hawke is going to be a Mage, dunno if female/male yet.  
Also going to be a kultz outside of battle... other then that. -shrug-

Anyway, this is to get into Merrill's head.

Edit of 07/26/2014, realized I left out a few confirmed in game Spirits with the line up I did. edited to reflect Compassion and Fortitude :D

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Redemption.

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Audacity has been helping me more and more with the Eluvian, so I haven't been spending as much time with Carver as I'd like. Even though he's chosen to be a Templar he still visits me often enough for us to have a... well, kind of a... I suppose we're a couple of sorts?

He's so smart, so handsome... Even more then that he doesn't mind that I'm so... so scatterbrained when in the city. I miss the woods. I know the woods. But all the grays and blocky shapes of the city confuse me, there's no... no RHYTEM behind it like a forest. The easy and understandable flow of life and death. Kirkwall confused me, especially with the needless deaths I'd seen while helping Hawke. Couldn't they see that Hawke had an Alpha personality? That Hawke would protect those seen as 'pack'? Even the Viscount differed to Hawke and asked for advice. Why issue challenge so pointlessly? They would only die to Hawke's Magic.

But Carver had the Gift of Sight! The Blessing of Dirthamen; Keeper of Secrets. To be Blessed with such a Gift yet not be of the Elven... to be Gifted with the secrets of the Future, to be able to change the flow of the River, for good or ill. One would think one of his Mage siblings would hold the Gift... but no, it complemented sweet Carver so well.

As much as Hawke was the Protector, Carver was the Advisor, Bethany the Healer and Leandra the Mother. Hawke had left behind both siblings during the expedition to the Deep Roads. Carver had seen the Taint claim either twin, or both if they both went. He had seen Death or Survival with the Wardens. But if they stayed, both would end up in the Gallows, one caught, one joined in order to protect. The Twins had a long talk then with their family and had decided that the Gallows would be the best path... yet somehow Carver said it would be the hardest path. Harder then facing Darkspawn at every turn.

And thus Bethany was caught and Carver joined the ranks of the Templars to keep her safe. He was a clever man, my Carver. We all knew that Templars were addicted to Lyrium and that the Lyrium wasn't needed. The King of Fereldan had proven that; Warden yet Templar trained. Stronger then even the Knight-Commander of Fereldan in terms of enegry. So Carver avoided taking the daily dosage, instead getting the small vial to myself or Varric for us to convert into Lyrium Potions.

But he gets so upset when he sees me working on the Eluvian.

I don't know why he's so upset though, Audacity has been very nice. The Dalish don't believe there is a difference between Demons and Spirits but Carver says that there is.

His father, Malcom, was a very wise Mage and had taught all his children so much about the benefits and dangers of Magic so they could better protect each other. He'd learned from his father that Spirits and Demons are mirrors of each other and that a demon Could be redeemed into a Spirit, or a Spirit corrupted into a Demon, but it was rare for either event to actually occur.

I'd been so excited by the thought at first, hoping to help restore Audacity to a true Spirit state if he was right, but Carver said that it was foolish.

"He's helped me so much! Why can't I help him!?" I'd asked softly.

Carver had smiled and touched my cheek. "You are so sweet Merril... but he would need someone reflecting the Essense opposite his Vice; Mercy."

"But I can...!"

He'd silenced me with a kiss before running his fingers through my hair.

"Your greatest Vice is Pride and your Essence is Joy," He'd said softly. "Why do you think you can make so many smile so easily?"

He'd pulled away from me then and shaken his head.

"I can't stand by you in this. I can't help you with the mirror Merril. It and Audacity will be, can be, the death of your clan if you continue with this. Please. You haven't merged with Audacity... send him away and destroy the Mirror."

He left then. I'd drifted to stand in front of the Eluvian and found myself fretting.

I'd learned so much thanks to the Hawke family.

Mercy turned to Pride. Valor to Sloth. Compassion to Desire. Justice to Vengence. Generosity to Hunger. Fortitude to Fear. Joy to Terror. Faith to Rage.

Carver, Hawke and Bethany had all told me the same thing. To restore Pride into Mercy one had to be helped by a person whos very Essence, their very Soul, was filled with Mercy and that their Vice had to be almost non existant. That the person had to help the Pride Demon willingly... Such a person... was very rare.

With that in mind I could very well have helped a Demon of Terror find Joy again... but if my Vice truly was Pride... I wouldn't be able to redeem Audacity.

I looked back to the Eluvian and frowned at the glass. The Dalish had lost SO MUCH over the years and not just because of the shemlin. I'd found hints within old ruins that much had been destroyed by the Dalish themselves in arrogance... or perhaps desperation? Some of the old writing on the walls hinted that the Dalish hadn't wanted the Tevinters of the time to have access to any of their written work and had destroyed so many books and artifacts when they fled their once glorious homes.

I wanted to restore some of that lost history. I wanted to help my people set down roots. We were nomads now only because of necessity, once we'd had cities of our own... shops, vendors, trade...!

I was the only one willing to work on the Eluvian.. the others just didn't seem to understand. I was trying to help them! Life would be so much better if we could get even ONE of our Ancient Artifacts to work again! I wanted to restore our people to glory! Bring back the magic of Arlathan! If I had to do this by myself then I would. I would show them, kicking and screaming, the beauty of the Eluvian! The beauty of our past! They HAVE to see!

I picked up the Halla carving that Carver had given me, bought at Hawke's suggestion, and started to throw it across the room. I stopped just before it left my hand and stumbled to the ground, suddenly clenching it tight to my chest and panting heavily. I could feel the sting at my knees from hitting the ground so hard.

Oh... oh my... dear Creators, is this what Carver meant? Would my Pride really result in the destruction of my clan like he'd Seen?

I huddled into a small ball, crying softly and I squeezed the Halla carving tight in my hands.

I'd leaned Blood Magic a long time ago, using old texts and avoiding making any inappropriate deals. I wasn't stupid, I knew magic like I knew the back of my hand. I knew the dangers of making deals with Spirits and only took information if they offered it freely. Audacity showed up to help me with the mirror when I became frustrated with it, never once asking me for anything. He wasn't a bad Spirit, because of that fact; he didn't ask me to make any deals with him. THAT was why I trusted him when he helped me.

Even now I could sense him, feel his anger at Carver for my upset state. I could feel his mind brush against mine in a whisper.

'I wont leave you, my little one. I promise. You're mine, little one. I will keep you safe.'

Those words normally brought me comfort... Why was it now that I felt a growing sense of Dread?

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Yay, just another small short. Insight into the Merril I'll have for DA2... trying to get more chappies out for DA:O and Mass Effect but some things keep pushing to the front of my mind demanding attention. Best to write it down now aye?

Read and review! Any suggestions welcome!


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